History would not remember Ripley Prior.

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Where To Begin?

Dear friends, where shall we begin? At the beginning? It’s a long story. How long do you have? Perhaps another time, then.

Do you have children? Do you remember life before them? For me, I remember it as if it were a dream. It’s a little hazy. I’m certain it happened. I can remember specifics, I have some fond memories, and some sad ones. But to really think about it, to really imagine life before these little people even existed, that’s more difficult now. From the first moment you become a parent, it’s as if they’ve always been there. As if they’ve always been a part of you. A piece of the puzzle that had been hiding under the couch, which once found completed a picture that you didn’t even know you’d been creating. Sure, you had a general idea. You’d placed all the edges, painstakingly put all the pieces right side up, pressed them together in faith, with nothing more than a promise of the vision they would reveal. And yet, even if the picture seemed clear without that piece, once it has been set into place, that is when you are able to see it as it was truly intended to be.

Writing a story, breathing life into the characters, is a lot like that, too. There are certainly similarities. The same thing happens when you read a book that really resonates with you. The characters, the world, the adventures…once they’re there, once you’ve written it down or read it, you can’t unread it. They will always be with you, forever a part of you. Think of your favorite story. Can you remember a time before you had been to Mordor and back again with Frodo and Sam? Before sneaking through the wardrobe with Lucy into the wondrous land of Narnia? Before you loved to hate Professor Snape? The stories that we read become a part of us, a thread in the tapestry of our lives. They can make us feel deeply, and run our emotions through the ringer.

I hope you enjoy reading Antiquity’s Gate as much as I am enjoying writing it. Thank you for sharing this adventure with me!